Friday, 2 May 2025

Paramount Global/Skydance merger - Deadline; ‘60 Minutes’ Schedules Another Segment On Trump: His Targeting Of Law Firms

Story from Deadline:

CBS News’ 60 Minutes plans to air a segment on Sunday about Donald Trump‘s targeting of law firms with his executive orders, the latest sign that the show has not backed way from reporting on the president despite a lawsuit and concerns of corporate interference.

The show’s description of the segment is, “On the campaign trail, President Trump vowed to wield the power of the presidency to go after his perceived enemies. Now in the White House, Trump is using executive orders to target some of the biggest law firms in the country that he accuses of “weaponizing” the justice system against him.”

Correspondent Scott Pelley is reporting the story. On Sunday, he closed out the show by noting the departure of the show’s executive producer, Bill Owens, and calling out CBS’s corporate parent, Paramount Global.

“Bill made sure they were accurate and fair,” Pelley told viewers. “He was tough that way, but our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”

Trump has attacked the show over previous segments since he took office. Attorneys for CBS and Trump’s team have reportedly started mediation to try to resolve the president’s $20 billion lawsuit against the network over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris last fall. The settlement discussions have taken place as Paramount Global seeks approval of its merger with Skydance.

The Harris segment, which ran in October, received a News and Documentary Emmy nomination earlier today for outstanding edited interview.

In explaining Ownes departure to viewers, Pelley suggested that his resignation was meant to send a message about corporate interference in one of the network’s top shows and the crown jewel of television news magazines. Per the Times, Owens told staffers that altering the show’s independence was a “slippery slope.”

Trump has said that he is asking for “a lot” to settle the lawsuit. On Wednesday, he lashed out not just at the show, but The New York Times over its reporting that “legal experts have called the lawsuit baseless.” Trump called his case against CBS “a true winner.”

© 2025 Deadline.